kalimeeri
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Posts posted by kalimeeri
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Loved it. It's the first and probably only movie I'll see in a theatre this year. The rest are 'Netflix Q' material.
A lot of folks have been waiting for this one, and box office is a bit misleading when it hasn't opened in Europe or Australia yet. But considering the reviews, Universal would be crazy not to pick up their contract option on a sequel.
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Bleh, they've capped the download speed at a sluggish rate of 85kb/sec.
Really? I downloaded it yesterday peaking at 700 kb/s. :D
Mine was running about 700 as well, so it may not be a cap on nVidia's end so much as the number of folks downloading at that time, or traffic on a particular ISP.
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People have different sleep cycles inborn; some function better on a late shift, some on an early one. I think it adds a lot of stress to buck biology, but sometimes it's a necessary evil. Try limiting soda intake especially in the evening and eating a small portion of carbohydrates before bedtime (no junk food). Then spend the last hour reading a book in bed.
I think that there is a study showing that teens (as a general age group) actually need the extra sleep in the morning; a couple years ago the school district where I live cited it when they adjusted the high school schedule to start later (and end later). It wasn't all madness--they also felt it afforded less time for the kids to wander around causing mischief at local businesses before their parents got home. The kids did seem more tractable in the morning, but unfortunately it didn't mesh well with the parents' work schedules. Not too pleasant to find out that Little Johnny got involved in playing video games and missed the bus.
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I usually head to bed at 11 PM and my body just wakes up at 6 AM. I just wake up.
I've always been able to do the same, as long as I'm not on swing shifts. Those kill me; the old internal clock just gives up for the duration. But it's never easy to get out of bed, and there is no snooze button. Fortunately (?) my new puppy has recently become a convert to the religion of housebreaking, and he's more like a Distant Early Warning than an alarm clock...
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Isometric means one distance.
It generally refers to a locked camera view. Technically, a locked third-person camera could be construed as isometric.
Depending on the game, changing the camera view can be a help or a hindrance. (Hitting the wrong key in the heat of battle can get your character killed, if you're not totally familiar with the keyboard command for switching back and are hunting for the manual.) A 'swinging' camera view also bothers some people (vertigo?)--my daughter can't play certain games because the motion makes her seasick; she cites Kingdom Hearts as one she wanted to play but simply can't. 'Fixing' the view in those types of games could provide enough stability to make them playable.
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To be honest, I like the 3rd person perspective in RPGs. I find it helps me suspend disbelief and find roleplay easier. I think the three camera options of NWN is a good way of doing things. That way, everyone gets what they want, right?
You're not the only one who prefers 3rd person. There are a number of games I wouldn't have played unless the option of switching away from the first-person viewpoint was available (Morrowind for one, which was billed as a first-person game). I find it restrictive, awkward, and claustrophobic. CGW made a rather bold blanket statement in the latest issue that 'Gamers prefer first-person', which annoyed me considerably; but they went on to say that Pandemic was 'adding' the first-person POV to the Battlefront II game. That's fine; it's fair. And it's a smart dev who takes into account the various playing preferences, to reach the largest possible audience. My only suggestion to them would be to publicize the games' adaptability better, so that gamers don't have to wait for a reviewer to mention it before they purchase the game.
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I'd have taken the lightsaber back, but just destroyed the thing rather than use it after she defiled it.
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Guys, I thought G0t0 was merely programmed with the personality of man Goto. I'm pretty sure he does actually exist...
Get enough INF and talk to him, and he'll tell you the details. There is no man, just a hologram he created because people don't take droids seriously.
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Around here, the closest thing to a natural disaster we get is a thunderstorm. I shudder to think of the effects this hurricane might bring, esp. if it's still category 5 when it reaches the coast. As if we didn't have enough on our hands with Katrina already. Some friends of mine are currently in Texas, too. I hope they'll be okay.
Hopefully, the state and federal governments will have learned their lesson and run the disaster response a lot better.
You'd have 'thought' they'd have learned something last year, when four major storms hit Florida within the space of a couple months. Weren't they paying attention?
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Some games brag of 30-40 hrs of gameplay but include an interminable number of inane sidequests with a tiny bit of storyline. Those games are way too long, and more of a rip-off than a story that is finished before you're ready for it to end. Measuring or classifying by game length alone is not the way to go; what I really want is a well-executed storyline that ends when the story is told. The longer the better, of course; I'd rather read a novel than a short story anytime.
Just a thought: relatively few game companies over the years have taken the 'novel' approach of character development and deep plotline like Black Isle did. Is it because the industry is hiring more 'short-story' writers than those capable of producing cohesive longer works?
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However he believes that if you don't own your home and have no insurance, then you are less likely to evacuate.
People know the consequences of spending next month's rent on a motel room elsewhere better than they do the reality of a hurricane. Many don't have friends and family outside of their immediate area who will put them up. A shelter is a last resort--cots and unfamiliar people crammed into a stuffy, confined space, limited bathroom facilities, dry sandwiches, kids running everywhere in the excitement--not really an attractive choice for anyone who has a space to call his own. Staying home with familiar possessions also engenders a sense of security; by the time they realize it wasn't such a good idea, it's too late to go anywhere.
Nor can you discount the fact that people who grow up in a hurricane-prone area (or have lived there for a long time without incident) develop a strong sense of complacency. Dire predictions become a background litany of 'crying wolf'. Such bravado is part of local culture (as in the 'hurricane parties' in Key West). People simply refuse to leave, because they will feel like fools and look like cowards in front of their friends when the hurricane does a fly-by (as many have for New Orleans). 'Sticking it out' is a matter of pride; it's pervasive and stronger than you might think (until everything hits the fan).
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There was a very old b&w sci-fi (1961 DuPont Show of the Week, based on a story by H.G. Wells--'Country of the Blind'?) that was called 'Richest Man in Bogota'. In the film, the main character finds people living underground who have no eye sockets, just smooth skin where their eyes would be. When he returns to civilization with the booty, his eyes have become the same. Scary stuff it was, when I was a kid. Anyway, that's how I always pictured Visas.
Slightly OT, anyone else remember it?
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That's the same deal with any situations where more than one person can gain influence. What I've found is that whoever is physically closer to you is the one who gains the influence from the act.
That didn't always work for me. Nor does the game award influence points to a character who needs them over one who is already maxed out. One place on Dantooine I could not get Mira to respond no matter who else was in the party, even if she was practically standing between Exile and the NPC and the other char was afield. I ended up kicking the third party member out, and she finally chimed in.
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All time (not all rpg) favorites: Erana's theme from QFG, Robert Holmes' Gabriel Knight series tracks. Freespace 1&2, IWD 1&2, Kotor 1, Dungeon Seige 1, PS:T all had outstanding, memorable music as well.
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You know, that got me to thinking about another thing with Revan. He was supposed to be this genius strategist. Maybe he foresaw Kreia's evil and instructed T3 to not unlock the nav computer until the Exile had defeated Kreia so that Kreia wouldn't be able to find Revan. Once Kreia was defeated, T3 could then allow the Exile to know Revan's whereabouts.
Make any sense?
You're assuming Kreia was 'evil'. I don't believe she was. Regardless, she and Revan were two of a kind, formerly master and apprentice, and they understood each other completely. For sure Revan didn't expect to fail, but if he did, he knew he could count on Kreia to do what he would have done himself. No strategy required.
Kreia could not go herself because of age and frailty; I think she preferred to die for a worthwhile cause than waste away. She had plenty of quality time with T3 to program in a fail-safe. I'm sure if Exile had not fulfilled her last requirement, the navicomputer would never have been unlocked.
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Bao-Dur was my favorite of all the party members. He was a Jedi killing machine if developed properly, and I felt he was the only character Exile could really trust. The shutting down of all his conversation was frustrating; I failed to see how anything that happened on Dxun helped with such deep-seated psychological trauma. He says he will talk about it later, but he doesn't. Ever. The unkindest cut of all
.The VA was mild to the extreme for a reason, IMO. Sadly, I dont think there were enough 'real' conversations to make the point properly. Bao shut down much like Exile did, probably because he saw what he was capable of and hated it. His reaction was to deny himself all emotion; he just bottled it up along with all the anger and hate. The scene with Canderous is the best example: Candy was just blabbering in his way, unaware, but I really think he'd have lost this fight because he doesn't have any reason to expect what's coming.
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Windows XP is not without its faults, but I don't plan on upgrading either. I spent enough on the hardware and software I have right now, and I see no reason to 'upgrade' it for the sake of the latest and maybe not-so-great OS. Vista doesn't seem to offer much benefit to the end user. At what point do people finally say 'enough' and leave it sitting on the shelves?
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Bao-Dur's backstory and motivation seemed more real to me than that of the other new characters. In his own way, he was as damaged and dangerous as Exile, completely opposite of the surface impression he cultured. That's interesting.
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von Glower in Gabriel Knight 2. An almost perfect mix of sympathetic character and unreclaimable bad guy.
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No doubt. George Clooney.
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I wish they had continued with PC releases, as I don't use the playstation but do enjoy some of their stories. I've played FFVIII many times, and would definitely buy FFX. It seems odd (in one sense anyway) that they'd release XI for PC after ignoring the platform for several games. Too bad it's online multiplayer only.
Has anyone found a decent PS2 emulator that will play FFX?
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He sounded angry, let down and frustrated to me. This was apparently an interview to a local radio station that I was hearing, but I'd say he was expressing what many people in the city seem to feel.
I'm sure he was. Yet ranting on such things publicly does nothing but incite more resentment in his people. It helps no one, and fosters the idea that his whole plan hinged on Federal response. One way or another, a person in his position sets the example. IMO, he should rise above his personal emotions and encourage people to work together. At least he and his city might look slightly better to the world.
Yet wasn't it remarkable (at least I found it so) to watch, on the night of the hurricane, the TV cameras pan around the stadium of those too poor to make it out of the city, and see barely a white face there?But the folks at the stadium were only a small percentage of the population who were stranded, and that cross-section isn't really indicative of anything, per se. There are too many other factors involved, not the least of which is who the reporter chose to focus on. People also were unable to leave because outbound roads were completely clogged; some were tourists, and some just refused to leave their homes. The news usually focuses on the most extreme examples, because 'normal' or 'minor damage' has little news value.
That said, I wouldn't be surprised that many affected were black, simply because a large percentage of NO's population were. I also wouldn't be surprised if the face of that city didn't change in many ways, because many of the relocated evacuees will never go back.
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I also see a difference between targetting something and knowing that civilians are there and targetting civilians for the purpose of terror. Of course, there was a huge discussion of this in thread around here somewhere. I should probably buy the game and play it.
This is one of the few games Square put out for PC as well, if you can find it. I picked up my daughter's copy at EB Games. You will need a USB controller, though; it does not respond to mouse and keyboard.
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The biggest problem, as I read it, is a race-relations oriented one. It seems that the poorest people (who couldn't afford to leave) are more likely to be black. And the police and emergency services were more worried about "keeping order" than rescuing people.
The problem is that it is probably going to be made into a race-relations issue by news hype and activists. That gets a bit tiresome. Poor people are people, period. However, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a justified undercurrent to build on in this case; it fits in the overall picture. NO may well have been a cauldron waiting for a catalyst to bubble over.
The mayor didn't even crawl out of the woodwork until someone suggested they import Guiliani from New York to organize things, and then he sounded like an ignorant idiot, rambling on with every other word a profanity and a criticism.
Police and emergency had no clear plan in effect (I doubt they could have foreseen the extent of these circumstances anyway); they didn't act, they reacted at ground level. And they finally gave up in frustration and confusion. That isn't leadership. When it's all over, I hope someone takes a microscope to the city fathers. They set police department attitudes and policies, which directly relate to racial tenor. Resorting to the blame game so fast without taking positive action makes me suspicious that they're desperate to shift attention elsewhere.
Hopefully, the state and federal governments will have learned their lesson and run the disaster response a lot better.
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The apocalipse is coming!
in Way Off-Topic
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I think I'd laugh at all the people with money. :D